Average age of brides and grooms in Northern Ireland increases by seven years

Couples in Northern Ireland are choosing to get married later in life than they did 30 years ago.

That is according to data published in the Registrar General's annual report.

They also revealed the most popular day for people to get married.

It shows the average ages of brides and grooms in Northern Ireland in 2021 were 33.4 and 35.4.

That compares to 26.5 for women and 28.6 for men in 1991 meaning the average ages have risen by seven years. The Northern Ireland Registrar General's report contains statistical information on areas such as births, marriages and deaths.

It is the 100th annual report issued by the registrar.

There were 7,962 marriages registered in 2021.

More than half of those (3,700) occurred between July and September, a pattern that was undoubtedly influenced by when Covid restrictions were eased.

There were 396 same-sex marriages last year and 207 conversions from civil partnerships to marriage.

While July was the most popular month to get married, Saturday August 28 proved the most popular day, with 107 couples marrying on that date.

There were 37 civil partnerships registered in 2021, down from 43 registered in 2020.

Three of those involved male partnerships and six involved female partnerships.

There were 2,040 divorces granted last year, which represented a significant increase on the 1,507 in 2020. The 2021 total was still 30% lower than the peak number of 2,913 in 2007.

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